But...because we ARE so close to St Mark's Basilica, we can jump at the chance to go in there whenever we see that it's not too terribly crowded. There's a steep staircase to the roof that offers an amazing view of the square. Or we can call ahead and book a time - it'll give us a 15 minute window and a reservation code to show the guard and bypass the long lines.
Along with St Mark's, other attractions that we should see are the Doge's Palace (right next to St Mark's) and we'll walk over the famous Bridge of Sighs to get there. And the Campanile (bell tower) is in front of St Mark's and you can take the elevator to the top for a view over the basilica.
Apparently Venice is not a nighttime town, so it is a totally different place after the day tourists leave. But it's supposed to be just beautiful in the evenings and early mornings.
At some point we'll take a vaporetto tour of the Grand Canal. It's supposed to be a really nice ride (and no cheesy gondoleer). We also HAVE to go the the Rialto Market. Visiting the market will show how Venetians get there food supplies - all imported of course. Restauranteurs as well as locals come here to stock their kitchens. It's mainly known as a fish market but there are fresh veggies and fruit for sale as well. And DO NOT HANDLE ANYTHING until after you've paid for it. Just point at what you want and the vendor will choose it and bag it for you.
Heading to Venice:
We board a train in Monterosso at 9:30AM and arrive in Pisa at 10:17AM. We then leave at 11:11AM from Pisa to Florence, arriving at noon. At 12:30PM we board another train bound for Venice, scheduled to arrive there at 2:33PM - plenty of time for fun that day.
The number 1 thing I want to do in Venice is meander. Obviously there are sights to see and things to do, but for the first day I want to arrive, get to our hotel and unload, and then roam. It's an island - and it's small - and our hotel is right by St Mark's Square on the water, so getting back to that point should be easy.
Our hotel is Savoia and Jolanda
Some great restaurant recommendations from our neighbor, Tony Landau, are:
Vini da Gigio
Canal side dining and family owned restaurant serving fabulous Venetian cuisine. The service is supposedly amazing (as is the seafood!).
alle testiere
Needs a reservation but the fresh seafood is supposed to be great!
Another one I heard about (possibly for Sunday night?) is Tratoria Bandierette (on Barbaria delle Tole). Seafood seafood seafood!
WE LEAVE IN SIX DAYS!!!!
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